The City of Brotherly Love is home to the creation of the contentious Second Amendment.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
Is it still the City of Brotherly Love. We only had one day to figure it out before heading to Maryland and Thanksgiving with the grandkids. We arrived into Philly late in the afternoon after spending 8 hours using public transit to travel from New Haven where we had spent a lovely couple of days visiting with Leah and Will, part of our beloved Harbin family. They are expecting their first child in a few months. Seemed an opportune time for a visit, before life gets too busy for them.
First order of business upon arriving in Philly was to find our hotel which was tucked away in a back alley somewhere in China Town. Why Chinatown, it was in easy walking distance to all the historic sites of Philadelphia and we had this over powering yen for some Chinese food.The back alley where we found our hotel was as authentic as you could get. Crowded with an overpowering odor (odour) of smoking woks and the faint tang of sewer. The front desk clerks were super friendly at check in. Brotherly love was in the air.
It was a Saturday, so we were up early with a plan to get ahead of the crowds. They day was sunny but cool so our walk to the visitor centre was a brisk one. It was here, we could pick up admission tickets for Independence Hall, "ground zero" for everything independence.
The ranger fellow handing out the tickets was quite pleasant and helpful. Definite feelings of brotherly love were being transmitted.
On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed here, declaring sovereignty for the 13 colonies and freedom from the British.
On September 17th, 1787 the Constitution was signed here setting out the 7 articles for the frame work of American government.
Over the next 10 years, the first 10 amendments to Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights were passed here.
230 years later, the 2nd Amendment, meant to protect its citizens has morphed into a political quagmire that no longer protects, nor is well regulated. A militia does not mean a 19 year old kid armed with an AR-15.
Next stop, the Liberty Bell, easily the most recognized symbol of American independence.
The attendants were overflowing with brotherly love. Long lines of grumpy people were kept in check with humor and smiles.
Originally housed in the belfry of Independence Hall, then known as the Pennsylvania State Legislature, it is now housed in its own pavilion located across from the Hall. The bell hung in obscurity till the 1830's when abolitionist societies adopted the bell as a symbol and dubbed it the Liberty Bell.
The bell became really famous due to a short but false short story written in 1847 that stated the bell had been rung when the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th The bell was actually first rung on July 8th when the Declaration was read to the public in the courtyard in front of the Hall. The first fake news.
For the next several decades the bell traveled around America acquiring the distinctive large crack along with other dents and scratches.
Every country needs a flag and Philly was there to provide one thanks to one of its citizens so we were off to Betsy's house. Betsy Ross, renowned as the creator of the old "stars and stripes" lived and died in Philadelphia.
Our guide was gushy and proudly patriotic emitting lots of brotherly love vibes as she spun the history of the creation of the American flag.
Next on the list a visit to Christ Church burial ground, the final home to five signers of the Declaration of Independence; the most famous Benjamin Franklin. Ben's grave is located near the fence line so for some unexplained reason, despite signage asking them not to, people reach in through the fence and throw money onto his head stone. Perhaps they are overcome by the spirit (heehee) of brotherly love.
Our next stop, was the National Constitution Center. (Centre for you Canadians) The center (centre) is fairly new, having only been opened since 2003 with the purpose of presenting an unbiased and non-partisan history of the constitution to the American public and the odd Canadian visitor. ZZZZZZZ. A quick visit was planned.
We were greeted by super friendly desk staff who quickly took our money, grabbed our hands and pulled us to the 360 degree, multi-media theater (theatre) for a presentation of "Freedom Rising". The presentation was just starting and they did not want us to miss a minute. The theme "We the People" tells the story of the constitution and the quest for freedom. It described how over time, (lots and lots of time) people who were left out in the 18th Century, the poor, women, African Americans and Latinos were gradually included. Some would argue that statement but I must admit, even I felt a little patriotic leaving the theater. (theatre)
What was planned as quick visit became 2.5 hours and we still didn't see everything. Those Fathers of the Constitution were so darn chatty.
The center (centre) was closing but the attendant was quite adamant that we not leave until viewing the icing on the cake, an original copy of the Constitution. 14 copies were created with only 12 remaining in existence.One was created for the newly minted federal government with the other 13 going to the original states. This one was on loan from Pennsylvania.
Brotherly love was definitely being served at the center (centre). We are going to have to go back and finish what we started that day.
Night had fallen by the time we exited the Centre. Our last stop of the day was a visit to Franklin Square. The square was first laid out by William Penn in 1682. The park was abandoned and in the early 1900's, the area around the park had become a red light entertainment district and gained a reputation as "skid row". In 2003, the park was renovated back to its original plan. Each November, the park is transformed into a festive winter wonderland with a musical light show, craft market and live music.
We spent a enjoyable hour sitting by a fire, sipping hot chocolate, laced with an ounce of Bailey's enjoying the light show and music.
Based on our experiences today, we seemed to have reached a verdict on the question, is Philadelphia still the "city of brotherly love".
Perhaps it was the Bailey's talking, but the verdict was a resounding YES. Despite the fact that over 41,000,000 million visit Philadelphia annually, the people seem to have retained their friendliness and kindness for strangers. Well worth a longer visit.
A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
First order of business upon arriving in Philly was to find our hotel which was tucked away in a back alley somewhere in China Town. Why Chinatown, it was in easy walking distance to all the historic sites of Philadelphia and we had this over powering yen for some Chinese food.The back alley where we found our hotel was as authentic as you could get. Crowded with an overpowering odor (odour) of smoking woks and the faint tang of sewer. The front desk clerks were super friendly at check in. Brotherly love was in the air.
It was a Saturday, so we were up early with a plan to get ahead of the crowds. They day was sunny but cool so our walk to the visitor centre was a brisk one. It was here, we could pick up admission tickets for Independence Hall, "ground zero" for everything independence.
The ranger fellow handing out the tickets was quite pleasant and helpful. Definite feelings of brotherly love were being transmitted.
On July 4, 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed here, declaring sovereignty for the 13 colonies and freedom from the British.
On September 17th, 1787 the Constitution was signed here setting out the 7 articles for the frame work of American government.
Over the next 10 years, the first 10 amendments to Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights were passed here.
230 years later, the 2nd Amendment, meant to protect its citizens has morphed into a political quagmire that no longer protects, nor is well regulated. A militia does not mean a 19 year old kid armed with an AR-15.
Next stop, the Liberty Bell, easily the most recognized symbol of American independence.
The attendants were overflowing with brotherly love. Long lines of grumpy people were kept in check with humor and smiles.
Originally housed in the belfry of Independence Hall, then known as the Pennsylvania State Legislature, it is now housed in its own pavilion located across from the Hall. The bell hung in obscurity till the 1830's when abolitionist societies adopted the bell as a symbol and dubbed it the Liberty Bell.
The bell became really famous due to a short but false short story written in 1847 that stated the bell had been rung when the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4th The bell was actually first rung on July 8th when the Declaration was read to the public in the courtyard in front of the Hall. The first fake news.
For the next several decades the bell traveled around America acquiring the distinctive large crack along with other dents and scratches.
Every country needs a flag and Philly was there to provide one thanks to one of its citizens so we were off to Betsy's house. Betsy Ross, renowned as the creator of the old "stars and stripes" lived and died in Philadelphia.
Our guide was gushy and proudly patriotic emitting lots of brotherly love vibes as she spun the history of the creation of the American flag.
Our next stop, was the National Constitution Center. (Centre for you Canadians) The center (centre) is fairly new, having only been opened since 2003 with the purpose of presenting an unbiased and non-partisan history of the constitution to the American public and the odd Canadian visitor. ZZZZZZZ. A quick visit was planned.
We were greeted by super friendly desk staff who quickly took our money, grabbed our hands and pulled us to the 360 degree, multi-media theater (theatre) for a presentation of "Freedom Rising". The presentation was just starting and they did not want us to miss a minute. The theme "We the People" tells the story of the constitution and the quest for freedom. It described how over time, (lots and lots of time) people who were left out in the 18th Century, the poor, women, African Americans and Latinos were gradually included. Some would argue that statement but I must admit, even I felt a little patriotic leaving the theater. (theatre)
What was planned as quick visit became 2.5 hours and we still didn't see everything. Those Fathers of the Constitution were so darn chatty.
The center (centre) was closing but the attendant was quite adamant that we not leave until viewing the icing on the cake, an original copy of the Constitution. 14 copies were created with only 12 remaining in existence.One was created for the newly minted federal government with the other 13 going to the original states. This one was on loan from Pennsylvania.
Brotherly love was definitely being served at the center (centre). We are going to have to go back and finish what we started that day.
We spent a enjoyable hour sitting by a fire, sipping hot chocolate, laced with an ounce of Bailey's enjoying the light show and music.
Based on our experiences today, we seemed to have reached a verdict on the question, is Philadelphia still the "city of brotherly love".
Perhaps it was the Bailey's talking, but the verdict was a resounding YES. Despite the fact that over 41,000,000 million visit Philadelphia annually, the people seem to have retained their friendliness and kindness for strangers. Well worth a longer visit.
